


After the Shadows Have Fled

by mirror_to_the_past



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, Re-imagining of the real world climax, Spoilers, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:54:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirror_to_the_past/pseuds/mirror_to_the_past
Summary: A re-imagining of the Real World Climax."It was swirling all around them now. A deep, suffocating darkness that promised no salvation or return. It filled Basil’s throat and pulled the life from him, while simultaneously filling him with such raw fear that could be nothing but the truest display of living humanity. His eyes shifted with the shadows around the room sporadically, and he couldn’t pin Something down.'“Sunny… There’s no way out of this, is there?”'And how could there be, when Something loomed in, closer and closer, on the both of them? Something, ready to hurt Sunny after it hurt Mari, surely on a mission to take all of the goodness in the world.Why, then, was it after him, too? There was no goodness to be had in his sick, twisted mind."
Relationships: Basil & Sunny (OMORI)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 101





	After the Shadows Have Fled

**Author's Note:**

> As shown in the tags, this work has graphic depictions of violence, and has depictions of anxiety inducing circumstances. However, I think the more important thing to note is the heavy nature of the stream-of-consciousness thoughts presented here. There are strong themes of self hatred, depictions of dark/unhealthy thought processes, and blatant suicidal thoughts present in this story. I'm assuming that if you've played this game, you're probably ready for that, but I'd just like to get a disclaimer out there anyway. Stay healthy and safe, everyone. Take care of yourselves. Drink water, and remember you're valuable.
> 
> Another thing I'd like to get out of the way is that in this story, I'm entertaining a bit of a personal theory that Basil might be a person who has "Quiet," or "high-functioning" Bipolar Disorder, which serves to me at least, as an explanation for a lot of Basil's thought processes and circumstances that weren't explicitly explored throughout the game. I'd love to discuss it more, if anyone is curious.
> 
> Personal theories aside, I am not a doctor, nor someone who has any form of BPD, I merely am someone who enjoys researching such topics. I am in no way trying to romanticize mental illness, and have tried to, with my research, provide as accurate a depiction of the kinds of thoughts and feelings that go through a person's head, when suffering from Quiet BPD, as possible, with that sensitivity in mind. If I have in any way overstepped, please tell me so. I don't want to come across as uninformed, and would love to hear about any experiences of yours.

Cold, metallic shears caught moonlight in Basil’s frail grasp. His eyes bugged wildly as Sunny struggled beneath his desperate hold. The other boy fought against him valiantly, able to stand his ground even in his fragile state. Basil tried to steady Sunny, grabbing him by his collar and pulling him close. Basil lifted his shears and tried his best to pinpoint the location of Something that was behind Sunny.

It was swirling all around them now. A deep, suffocating darkness that promised no salvation or return. It filled Basil’s throat and pulled the life from him, while simultaneously filling him with such raw fear that could be nothing but the truest display of living humanity. His eyes shifted with the shadows around the room sporadically, and he couldn’t pin Something down.

“Sunny… There’s no way out of this, is there?”

And how could there be, when Something loomed in, closer and closer on the both of them? Something, ready to hurt Sunny after it hurt Mari, surely on a mission to take all of the goodness in the world.

Why, then, was it after him, too? There was no goodness to be had in his sick, twisted mind.

Why did he have to suffer? Why couldn’t it just leave him already? Why, why, why!?

Basil lifted the shears, trembling, the blade poised above his own heart, locked in a trance. Somewhere far away, he could hear Sunny cry out. In a foggy haze, Basil could see Sunny attempt to gather himself for a moment, but to no avail. Sunny instead lunged upwards at Basil with his whole weight, knocking Basil to the ground. The shears instead of piercing through his own sickening form, sliced Basil’s arm. The warm blood that oozed from the wound spattered the ground in a grotesque arc. It seemed to glow in the darkness with its red sheen. Basil trembled with a sudden wave of despair. Words tumbled from his lips, mixed with hot tears as Sunny tried to hold him down.

“Tell me Sunny… am I selfish for doing this?” 

Selfish for wanting to free Sunny from his pain? Selfish for Basil wanting to run from his own pain? No, surely it was for wanting to keep Sunny safe in the first place. No one else would have believed that Something had hurt Mari. They would have thought Sunny did it, even though it was only because none of them realized how thoughtful, wonderful, and kind Sunny was. Someone like that, one of the first people to truly give Basil the time of day- one of the only people that had witnessed Basil’s inner thoughts, and had never met them with judgement- someone so forgiving would never do such a thing. Would never take the life of another person so kind.

But because the others didn’t understand Sunny like how Basil did, that’s surely what they would have thought. Was he selfish? Of course he was. In the end, it was all for Basil. Coercing his friend with comforting words in that horrible time of panic and agony. Lying to him, telling him that it would all be okay if he followed his plan. He was so manipulative and disgusting. All of that… all so he wouldn’t lose the only person that understood him. And what came of that? Sunny left him anyway. Years of grief, solitude, and guilt. Oh, it was horrible. After tasting friendship and love, Basil couldn’t let it go again, but he couldn’t force himself on Sunny anymore either. He’d been nothing but a scourge to his best friend’s life. Basil just wanted it to end. Just let it stop. Let it be done.

Basil could hear himself screaming, and he thought he was thrashing, but he wasn’t sure. It almost felt like he was watching the scene unfold from above- not quite there, but there enough to feel the pain and agony of Sunny, ever-forgiving Sunny, begin to rain punch after punch on Basil’s face. How could he do that!? After all Basil suffered through for him, after trying to free him from the monster that threatened to hurt him!? Oh, Sunny…

“Sunny… do you hate me?” Basil whimpered out pathetically. Heavy tears mixed with mucus began to fall from Sunny’s face as he sobbed, and Basil felt the droplets land upon his own. Still, the punches kept coming.

“Please, stop it…” Basil’s voice trilled into a sharp whine, akin to a rodent caught in a trap, begging for escape, or to be put out of its misery to avoid ensuing agony.

Sunny’s beatings started to slow as his sobbing grew louder. He merely gripped Basil’s shirt in his clenched fists.

Basil felt his heart tug as he saw his friend in such a vulnerable state, and reached out to comfort him, to tell him that it was alright-

But then Something loomed over Sunny’s feeble form, surely ready to take advantage of his weak state to hurt him. Basil grabbed the shears that lay just nearby and tackled Sunny to the ground, shielding him with his body from the Something that was all around them again. Sunny was suddenly filled with vigor, and once again began to tussle with Basil, trying to throw him off. The boys knocked things from shelves and walls as they rolled around. Various pleas and cries from Sunny for Basil to ‘wake up’ and ‘stop scaring him’ echoed in his ears and hurt his brain. Basil gripped the shears harder and held his arm to his face. The pleas were starting to sound similar to the dreams Basil would have of Mari- in which her corpse begged Basil for mercy as he stared at her with uncaring eyes and strung her up like nothing more than a piece of meat. It was too much at one time, Basil couldn’t take it. Please, let it be over. Let it be okay... 

_Sunny, please just trust me… I’ll do anything for you, please understand. Just let me get rid of Something, and then you could leave me forever. I’d deserve it…_

_But please don’t leave me, not after you’ve come back to me again!_

_Just go, go before I change my mind._

_Don’t leave me with my thoughts again…! I don’t know what I’d do if I…!_

Contradictory and painful thoughts crowded his brain and overwhelmed Basil as much as the encroaching shadows. Oh, to be free from the weight of it all…

“Stop struggling, Sunny. I’m- I’m so tired…” Basil requested in an empty voice.

As if his arm acted on its own volition, Basil lashed out wildly with the shears on a whim, causing Sunny to lose his stance and jump back. He lost his balance and toppled to the floor, hitting his head on the wooden planks in a heap. Basil closed in, seeing Something quivering, fearful, and weak. It knew what Basil would do to it. His last act of resolution before it was all done, and everything would be over. Its big eye peered out at him pleadingly, as if expecting Basil to forgive it after all the pain it had caused him, Sunny, and everybody else. Basil let out a guttural yell and thrusted the shears outward at Something. Something stopped him though, grabbing the shears in its willowy tendrils, staring at Basil unflinchingly as it did so. Basil fought hard against it, staring at the culmination of his fear and pain, of Sunny’s fear and pain, dead in the face. A sudden wave of rage overcame Basil. Such waves before that would typically come and go would always, always be directed at himself and his own incompetence. Whenever he was with his friends, back in those warm, summer days, those waves would leave quickly, as he was reminded by his loved ones that his mistakes didn’t matter as much as they did. At that time, the rage diminished into smaller bouts of annoyance. But always, always at himself.

Not this time. This time, it was this thing, some horrible… thing that took that all away! Took away Mari, took away his friends, took away Basil’s happiness, took away Sunny, took away Sunny’s happiness.

_You ruined everything! Stay away from me! Stay away from him! Stay away from us!_

Still, Something fought so valiantly, holding onto Basil’s arm, and fighting against the plunging motion as Basil reached down with his other arm to pin Something down. Why- why did this have to be so difficult?

“Why, why won’t you stop!?” Basil shrieked out, hearing his shrill voice riddled with panic and fury bouncing off of the walls.

Finally, in a surge of strength and determination, Basil overpowered the might of Something. Just before the cold, uncaring shears met their mark, Basil was sure that he saw the twisted, sunken form of Mari emerge from the shadows for just a moment, casting a final judgment upon him before Basil won the battle.

A piercing scream ripped Basil out of his delusion. Sunny- not Something, was beneath Basil’s grasp once again, and a large slash was ripped across Sunny’s right eye, right across the lid. Basil tore himself away from Sunny in a blind panic, and watched in horror. Blood, tears, and aqueous fluids leaked from the revolting wound. Sunny writhed in agony and ripped his arms up from Basil’s grasp to clutch near the spot. The shadows in the room were gone in that very moment as clarity burst into Basil’s mind.

“Sunny? SUNNY!?” Basil screeched in panic. “What was I doing!?”

Sunny did not answer as he squirmed around on the floor, but quickly lost energy as shock seemed to overtake him in that quick, horrible moment. His other eye seemed to roll back into his head, and then Sunny lay still, like a gentle ragdoll, beaten and wounded on Basil’s floor. Basil tried to stand to rush to his friend’s side, but found his legs didn’t work. Everything was sore and bruised, and all Basil could do was hobble and crawl to Sunny’s side. Basil heard the panicked voices of Kel, Hero, and Aubrey resound from the other side of his door, and something must have happened to it, because they couldn’t get it to open. Polly cried out for Basil to open the door, but Basil just couldn’t move, even though he tried. 

Everything seemed to be frozen and swimming around him as he looked at the havoc he had wrought. Basil slipped his arms underneath Sunny’s head and pulled the boy up to his chest as he knelt beside him. Basil felt the blood and cruor trickle down his shirt and wailed pitifully. He always hurt those he cared about most.

“Sun...ny…” Basil sobbed as he cradled the other boy in his weak grasp. “I-I’m so so-rry. I didn’t see… I would never hurt you on purpose… Y-you mean so much to me…. How could I lift my hand against you…?” Basil hiccuped and blabbered like a madman, though he supposed he was, at this point. How could someone, even someone as revolting as him, lay a hand on someone so wonderful who had already suffered so much?

“Oh, Sunny… Sunny…” Basil chanted his name like a prayer to keep the other thoughts from his head that flooded his mind at that moment. Basil was truly beyond redemption now. Sunny would hate him forever, if he didn’t already, and remember each and every day of his life how Basil took, not just his friendships, sister, and happiness from him, but his sight as well. 

“Sunny… I can’t live with that… I know it’s selfish, but… I’ve reached a new low…”

Basil felt, as though he were in a dream, his hand reach for the bloodied shears that lay near him. Perhaps… at Sunny’s side… it wouldn’t be so bad… It doesn’t matter anyways, Sunny won’t miss him anymore…. He’ll be glad to see he’s gone… Everyone will be glad to see he’s...

Every movement seemed as if it was being enacted within the oceanic depths as Basil, once again, lifted the garden shears to his eye level, ready to thrust down and put a stop to his aching heart. All that filled his gaze was the curved, cruel point aimed towards him. This was much harder when Basil wasn’t shrouded with delusion, even under these nauseating circumstances. He heard his blood pumping in his ears as eyes crossed, and his arms shook, and his body sweat-

The door flung open, and the collective cries of everyone who entered almost snapped Basil out of it, but Aubrey got to him first. The shears were out of his hand in a moment as she darted towards him, and ripped the shears from Basil’s feeble grasp with her firm one, flinging them across the room. Basil immediately fell into her solid form, but Aubrey wasn’t prepared for him. She shakily caught him mid-fall, then lowered him to the floor. As Basil lay, he watched the wounded body of Sunny next to him, who had a rather placid face for someone as injured as he. Perhaps he was somehow having a good dream?

Basil wheezed. “I fou-nd a way out, S...unny, but I couldn’t t-take it...” he whispered.

Throughout the room, havoc ensued. Polly had almost collapsed upon seeing the scene, and began apologizing to no one in particular as she ran for the landline, her voice carrying throughout the house. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I knew he was a troubled child. His grandmother was hospitalized; she didn’t make it… I should have kept a better eye on him. What was I thinking, what kind of caretaker am I…?”

Hero had bent over in the corner and vomited. Aubrey was now at his side, feeling herself shake as well, and telling him not to look. Kel was as white as a sheet, staring down at the mess of blood and shattered things on the floor with Basil and Sunny lying in a heap in the middle of it all.

“I-It looks like a crime scene in here…” Kel stammered out hollowly.

After regaining his composure, Hero rushed over to Sunny and Basil’s side. 

“Kel, go grab Sunny, carefully! Keep his head up! I’ll get Basil, and bring them outside, paramedics should be here soon, Polly-”

Basil felt himself grow weak, and he reached out to Sunny feebly as he was taken away from him by Kel lifting him somewhat clumsily from the floor. Basil hoped that, in that action, he was able to channel his thoughts, regrets, and dreams to Sunny, however unrealistic that wish might have been. That final action seemed to exert so much from Basil, and he felt his arm flop downwards as he settled into Hero’s tight grasp, as well as the whiteness encroaching upon his vision.

“Sunny… somehow… I w-want us to make n-new memories… togeth-er…”

_I found a way out, Sunny, but I couldn’t take it. I’m not sure what stopped me, since I still feel like I have nothing to lose, but I can’t help but feel like it’s the easy way out. I can’t leave you again… even if I try. Maybe, it’s time to finally let go of all of this hurt, for the both of us. I know it’s selfish to ask, but could you do that for me? I’ll join you soon, I promise._

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this fic, feel free to leave a comment. I love to discuss things with anyone who's open to do so, so don't be shy!
> 
> (Also, if any kind soul would help teach me how to do paragraph indentations on AO3, I'll sell them my non-existent firstborn. I am struggling.)


End file.
